Test Safety, avoid Choking Children!

Well, if that isn’t a misplaced modifier! (My high school English teacher would be so proud!) We are not talking about anger management here, but rather happy, bouncing, breathing infants!

With all of the recalls on toys made in China and all of the recalls of dangerous toys, it’s probably reasonable that consumers take it upon themselves to really keep an eye on the items their children are playing with to assure they are safe.

Any item that fits into a choke tube tester http://www.imprintitems.com/babyproduct2.htm#baby7
is small enough to become lodged in a child’s throat. The U.S. Consumer product Safety Commission states that items that fit into this tube are too small to be safe for children 3 years of age and younger.

Note that some people will suggest using a toilet paper tube to test if something poses a choking hazard. This test is a somewhat adequate test in the absence of an actual choke tube tester; however it should be noted that toilet paper rolls have a larger inside diameter than the Consumer product
safety commission recommends for a small parts test fixture.

All day cares and preschools should have a choke tube tester on hand; this would allow immediate testing of all items and game parts. Those that are found dangerous could be removed or discarded.

City, State and County Health Departments are giving out choke tube testers printed with their logo and information to spread awareness of choking hazards. Some baby formula companies give boxes of these testers with their product logo printed on them to pediatricians and maternity wards to give
to parents. This allows the hospitals and clinics to distribute a useful product to consumers and allows the formula company to keep their product name in front of their target audience.